Now my kids are older, I have stripped down their classes to the bare necessities. They have so much school work as it is. But TAS classes are a must for them. Although I am a teacher, I cannot teach my own kids, I will go crazy and pull out my hair. So I am thankful they enjoy TAS classes and are learning.


But I really hope to stop all classes for them once they are in secondary school. I think by then they should be independent learners, hopefully. Any parents here have 'suffered' once you stop tuition for your kids in secondary school?

Hi Trina,


Oh that does not seem good. Have you talked to the teacher? So far, my experience with TAS has been very good. Great teachers and great teaching. For the friends I recommended, all have only good things to say. I think every centre will have 1 or 2 not so good teachers. Sad to say you encountered one.

If you can coach you child at home, then maybe its better you teach yourself. Can guarantee quality.

Hi Ladybug3,


I have my kids at TAS since the beginning of this year. I decided to put them in after getting their creative writing book. I used their book to teach my class(I am a teacher) and I find the book very effective. I find it hard to teach my own kids at times as I will get impatient with them so I think its better to out-source.

As a teacher, I understand that English and for that matter even Maths and Science are subjects that may be easy to pass but not easy to master and do well. There are indeed components that are extremely hard to manage- the comprehension cloze for one, vocaabulary and even comprehension. The children must really read very widely to be able to do well in these sections. In schools, many of us also do not have specific strategies to teach these sections or even if we do, it may not be that effective.

So when I sent my kids to TAS, I was also not expecting a miracle. However, what I see is that they really do have specific techniques to teach even the difficult components.

For comprehension, my kids find it easier to understand the passage when they are taught to read the questions first and think deeper when they read (ask why). They also are taught to always take note if they are answering to the question. Now, again, it is not a ‘100% can work’ method as there are times my kids still struggle but I do see that unlike many other centres, there are concrete steps taken to tackle this component.

For vocabulary, they also have mnemonic notes to help the children remember what they are taught which I find very effective because many times, the kids will forget all the vocab we teach them after 1 week.

For compre cloze, they teach them to look for contextual clues which helps at times but I find this is the hardest section to master.

For synthesis, I gave the suggestion that they put their notes in a book so we parents can also revise with our kids at home and they said they were thinking of doing so but after my suggestion, they really took it up and came up with the book within a very short time, and in time for us to revise before the exams. So I give them top marks for effort put in and for really trying to understand the needs of the parents and children and to do something about it.

For science, I also put one of my kids in and my kid loves their science lessons and there are mnemonic notes to help them remember what they learnt better and also they teach them how to identify the key concepts needed to answer a question which I find useful.

So far, I have no regrets signing my kids up at TAS for English and Science and I have tried many other centres but none have as clear a pedagogy as TAS and none give me a such a genuine feeling that TAS gives.

Hi Chenonceau,


I think you have brought much needed insight esp the one about the bell-curve. I think teachers just keep setting harder and harder papers. A more difficult paper is not a better paper. Anyway, I think this issue is one where it is not just an education one but it is the way the civil service is run.

Anyway, I will also circulate this around to my other teacher friends. Some of them know about it and whole-heartedly agree but do not have the time to come here and contribute. Some are cynical, they feel nothing we say can change the way things are being run. But I feel we must always have hope and try in whatever way we can to make known the problems faced on the ground.

I think this petition is a good one and a lot of parents make perfect sense. I am a primary school teacher and a parent as well. I agree that schools are not getting the students ready for the exams. However the suggestions about having a smaller class size might not be able to come true for several reasons:


1) Not enough teachers
Now, they are trying to get more teachers from overseas to teach MT. For the other subjects, there are not enough teachers because not many people want to teach. If there aren’t many teachers, then our dream of having a smaller teacher to student ratio cannot be materialized.

2) Retention of good teachers a problem
Existing teachers are not very happy so some of them will quit, the retention rate of teachers especially good ones may not be high. The better ones want to do a lot for the children. They are more idealistic. This is true esp when they just join teaching. However, many times, they are thrown into the ocean and expected to keep up. NIE does not really train the teacher to teach well- how to tackle some of the challenging math qns, how to ans sci using key words, how to teach compo, compre etc. So when faced with these challenges and also with having to discipline and reign in 40 kids, the teachers feel bewildered and tired and some of them either give up after a while and just teach from the textbook or worksheets or some of them leave.

I think the issue is also how the schools and HODs manage the teachers. In corporate companies, company culture and all that is very important. However, for schools, not much thought is given to build up culture in the teachers. The teachers are also not given much guidance. The principals are also rotated every 5 years so not many would give the school their all. It is not like a running a company where the director would give their all as it is a make it break it situation. For principals, if they do not make it, they can still make it in another school.

In the US, schools have more autonomy so the teachers decide which school they want to join, in that sense good schools will attract good teachers and students. I am not saying that is the right way but that makes the principals take more ownership.

3) Having students do well is not a criteria for teachers to do well
The third issue I feel is in order for teachers to move up the ranks, their hods would look at how well they perform at ‘external’ events or activities like CCAs or maybe they did a research paper or represented the school at a zonal level and brought ‘fame’ to the school. Their teaching in class could be average but that does not matter if they can represent the school well at a zone level. Hence, teachers who want to climb up focus on that, they do not focus on honing their teaching skills. Teachers who are not as driven do not bother about such zonal activities but they are also bo chap about their classes. So very few teachers would bother to go the extra mile to really teach well. That is why children are being taught 20% and not 80%. (that is one of the main reasons)

Anyway, I think there is no short term solution. In order for schools to be changed, it must come for the minister and he is often advised by scholars who have not been on the ground to really know the root of the problem. But hopefully with more petitions like these highlighting the issues, they will do something about it.

Hi TAS,


Are you having any march creative writing holiday classes? My colleagues and I have 3 children between us that we would like to send for the holiday class.

How do I go about registering?

Hi TAS,


When is your next community service programme? I missed the Christmas event and the Spelling Bee one and heard good reviews about it from a friend. I was thinking of letting my child join the next one.

CJM:

hi,


those parents who send their kids to extra edge, do u have any idea that their lease is expiring and the center might close down if they cant find a suitable place ?

will you wait for their news on the closure/relocation or register with other centers ?

Hi CJM,

Could I find out more about extra edge, what kind of programmes do they do? I have heard about them from a friend and would like to know more details. Do they have one branch or many branches?

Hi TAS,


A big THANK YOU for organising the Forum Galleria event last weekend. You were very generous in not just teaching the children for free but you also gave out such nice balloons. My girl loved Ariel and Spiderman. You also gave out not just 1 prize winner but 2 for 'every child can write'. Although my girl did not win, I was very impressed with your generous spirit and excellence in delivery. Your teacher teaching was clear and he was captivating as well. Your teaching strategies were also very interesting. Am tempted to go for your holiday programmes, will discuss with my hubby and get back to you.

mummyjoyce:

octopusmum:

Hi all

Will your child be using pens or pencils to do maths problem sums this wed?
Ds said he prefers to use pencil cause it is easier to change workings. If he uses pen and the workings r wrong, he may not have enough spAce after cancellation.

PENS!!! and permanent one. You do not want the marker to accidentally erase or rub the wordings in the comp or working right??
PENCIL (2B) for OCS.

That is what I advise my students too. Usually pencils are used for drawings or for OCS. There is no hard and fast rule to bar the use of pencils, it is just a risk as writings in pencil can get smudged. The markers are marking in a non air-con room, they will perspire and all that.